


Sleepwalker

by PlushPanda



Series: Sleepwalker [1]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, shapeshifter!au, the fluff is real
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-30
Updated: 2017-01-16
Packaged: 2018-09-13 07:30:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9112780
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PlushPanda/pseuds/PlushPanda
Summary: Everything's the same, but Lena re-discovers what it's like to be a shapeshifter.





	1. Chapter 1

Lena walked through the darkened streets, trying to get her wildly beating heart under control. She’d just received a surprise visit from Kara, seemingly for no reason but to see if she was okay.

At first she’d been suspicious, but after several questions that all seemed to center around her general wellbeing, Lena couldn’t see it as anything else but an act of kindness. It struck at something long buried within her, appealed to her nature, prodded her wolf awake.

The beast, seemingly only summoned with positive reinforcement, had been awakened more than once by Kara, and Lena cursed her loveless upbringing for not preparing her to handle the howling that was begging her to let it out—let it come out to play, to help, to revel.

When Lena had seen her first werewolf on TV at the tender age of thirteen, she’d been  _so confused_. The wolves were violent and driven by vicious instincts, completely opposite to herself. Her wolf had been a puppy at its worst, and only Lex had been able to coax it out during rare, isolated moments to play. To see the demonic beasts rage across the screen made her puppy cower and hide in shame, and after being caught by Lillian in her more fluffy form, it had all but regressed into hibernation. She’d never seen someone so disgusted at what she had considered—up until that precise moment—to be her better half.

Her wolf had never pulled at her again, until now.

Lena walked faster, determined to let the cold air calm the turmoil raging on inside her. She was at a breaking point, but if she could push on, the storm may pass and the wolf would slumber once more.

Of course, that was when her suddenly sensitive hearing picked up on a woman crying for her lost purse. Apparently, the threat of Supergirl was not enough for this particular thief.

Long forgotten memories of protection, love, and kindness tickled at the edge of her mind.

The wolf raged, rattling her to her very bones.

It would not be ignored.

Lena clenched her jaw, tears pricking at her eyes, and, against her better judgment, finally let go. A quick sprint into an even more deserted alley had her stumbling, falling onto four familiar paws, clothes ripping uselessly around her.

The beast was free, and it would seek out the justice both it and Lena desperately chased.

Its ears pricked up at the distant sound of quick, heavy footfalls. It bared its teeth. Green eyes shone in the dim light.

The hunt began.

* * *

Kara had barely left L-corp when she heard the cry for help. She rushed to get changed, to get there on time.

And when she got there, she wondered if maybe she misheard the woman screaming about a man stealing her purse, that she’d been screaming about a giant beast instead.

She landed in front of the sleek black dog (wolf?), holding a purse in its muzzle. A man was tripping over himself to get away a few feet away. The woman who’d been robbed made slow progress running towards the scene, out of breath.

“Um…” Kara eyed the wolf warily, not sure how to approach the animal. She hunched over slightly, one hand resting on her knee and the other outstretched towards it. “Here boy?” was her feeble attempt to get the wolf’s attention.

The wolf remained frozen, staring down Supergirl, until it visibly sniffed the air. Then, against all Kara’s expectations, it started wagging its tail like crazy and all but launched itself at her.

Kara, unafraid of giant earth-born monsters, laughed when it suddenly skipped over and dropped the purse in her outstretched hand. “That’s a good boy!” she cooed, scratching the huge beast-turned-puppy behind the ear.

The wolf panted happily, tilting its head all the way into Kara’s hand until it nearly toppled over. Then, just as suddenly as it almost tripped, it was standing on its hind legs, draping its paws over Kara’s shoulders and giving her puppy kisses wherever it could reach.

“Oof.” Kara almost dropped the purse, unable to fight off the smile as she fended off most of the affections single-handedly. “You’re a big boy, huh?”

The wolf boofed once, allowing Kara a brief reprieve as she held its muzzle.

Kara glanced down, noticing how the wolf was easily taller than her if it stood at full height. “Oh jeez, is National City’s zoo missing a wolf?”

“Supergirl!” The woman who had been robbed finally caught up to them, albeit nearly hyperventilating and about to tip over. “Thank God… you’re… here.”

Kara looked over her shoulder at the woman, felt the weight of the giant puppy leave her shoulders. “Of course!” she said, smiling reassuringly. “Here you go.”

The woman looked up long enough to take her purse. “Thank you,” she said in one, quick breath.

While she regained her breath, Kara glanced back to where the wolf had been not a second ago, only to find it gone. She was about to use her x-ray vision to find it again, because what if it really was an escaped wild animal? But the woman spoke up, breaking her train of thought.

“Did you catch the…” The woman wheezed. “Thief?”

“Oh!” Kara exclaimed, having completely forgotten up until now. “I’ll be right back.”

* * *

Later that night, after a thorough shower to wash away all the dirt, Lena stared at the floor with a healthy blush coloring her cheeks and neck.

She had all but attacked Supergirl with kisses because she smelled safe and familiar, and Supergirl’s first reaction to her impressive form was to treat her as a puppy.

She ran a hand over her face, chuckling quietly to herself, a vaguely familiar warmth ever present in her chest.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: I should call this fic Yaksha or Tutelar.  
> Also me: Or you could not sound like a total douche.  
> Me: Dang, ur rite.

Lena was starting to think something was wrong with her wolf. She knew, consciously, that Kara awoke the more primal part of her, and when she couldn’t resist the pull and shifted, she also knew that her wolf was looking for Kara.

That is to say,  _she_  was looking for Kara. The wolf and her were the same, but since a lot of logical thought went out the window in her more fluffy form, she often felt like they were two different entities. That, and her wolf could sniff out smells so acutely, she could almost see them wafting in the air.

Lena didn’t particularly identify as a human who could see smells.

In any case, whenever she caught Kara’s distinct smell and her resolve was particularly low, the wolf burst forward and followed the yellow-colored scent.

First, she found Kara rushing down the street with what looked like a donut or bagel in her mouth.

Lena took a few steps towards her, but when a little boy cowered at the sight of her, she was instantly reminded of Lillian’s disgust. She couldn’t bear Kara looking at her like that. She chickened out and ran.

The second time, it was late at night. She didn’t find Kara, and why would she? It was past midnight. Surely, she was sleeping. Lena did find herself a whole lot of trouble, however.

She stumbled across Supergirl fighting what looked like another superpowered alien.

Rationally, Lena knew she should let Supergirl handle it, but her wolf didn’t know the meaning of reason. Especially not when it looked like he was on the winning hand, having thrown a literal wall at the kryptonian hero.

A vicious growl escaped the wolf, and it would have scared Lena if she weren’t feeling the anger so thoroughly.

It didn’t give the man a chance to notice the hulking beast, all but jumping the nasty looking humanoid, sinking its teeth deep into the man’s shoulder.

* * *

 

Lena couldn’t get the taste of blood from her mouth. As a wolf, she couldn’t spit or rinse, and she was left awkwardly pushing blood from her snout with her tongue. By then, she was desperately regretting the decision to bite anyone, even if she hadn’t consciously decided to do so. It resulted in her first concrete kiss, even, but it had gotten Supergirl the opportunity to subdue the hostile alien.

And now she was hiding in an alley, far away from home, trying not to freak out about space aids or infecting wounds.

“Hey.”

The wolf jumped at the soft-spoken word, scrabbling to get away from it and backing into a nearby wall. Cornered, its ears lowered into its neck, tail between its legs.

And there stood Supergirl, eyebrows knit in… worry?

Lena dared to relax, and didn’t tense further when the Super took slow steps towards her. It was hard, because her wolf trusted Supergirl without question, but it was also hurt and scared.

“It’s okay, I have some water for you. I saw you struggling just now,” Supergirl said softly, presenting a bottle of water.

One of the wolf’s ears perked up, and its tense posture slowly unfurled.

With a radiant smile, Supergirl uncapped the bottle. “Open wide.”

The wolf pressed its nose to the bottle, close to Supergirl’s hand, and sniffed. Recognizing the content as water and the woman as safety, it opened its snout and allowed her to clean most of the blood away.

“That’s a good boy,” Supergirl cooed, using her other hand to remove any remaining debris from its fur.

Lena looked up into vibrant blue eyes, but couldn’t find it in herself to think it strange that she was drinking water from Supergirl’s hand. Her wolf was happy and satisfied, and wouldn’t allow her to feel anything else.

“You realize he can’t understand a word you’re saying, don’t you?”

The wolf startled, snapping its jaw shut. Water splashed on the ground.

Behind Supergirl stood Alex Danvers, who Lena instantly recognized as Kara’s sister. That explained why she was pulled to the scene. The wolf must have smelled Kara on Alex and followed that.

“I know that,” Supergirl huffed childishly. She lowered the bottle of water, absently running a hand through luxurious black fur. The wolf preened at the attention, pressing its forehead into her palm. “But he can understand intonation. Doncha? Doncha, boy?”

The wolf stood up straighter, wagged its tail like it wanted to answer, ’hell yeah I can!’

Supergirl giggled, held its big fluffy face in her hands. “See?” she said, glancing over her shoulder.

A tiny smile pulled at Alex’ lips, but it was gone as fast as it came. “He can’t come to the DEO, in any case.”

Supergirl turned her attention back on the wolf, frowning thoughtfully. She dug her fingers into its fur and gently scratched at its skin. “Well, he’s not wild either. Someone must be missing a puppy.”

Lena felt like she was floating. She had never known that having someone scratch at the matted fur around her jaw was synonymous to joy, relief. It was like someone had finally found an unreachable itch and it was fantastic.

“You’re thinking about taking him home, aren’t you?” Alex said.

Lena didn’t know she had closed her eyes until she opened them, coming face to face with a guilty looking Supergirl.

“I can’t just leave him here,” she muttered, eyeing the wolf with such compassion that Lena almost felt like she was looking at her human self.

* * *

 

Lena should have run when she had the chance, but letting the wolf take over was such a rush. Without human logic around every corner to reel her in, she was free to feel without backlash. And that was all fine and well, but now she was stuck in Supergirl’s apartment. Her  _very_  familiar apartment.

The wolf stepped into the living room confidently, sniffing at its surroundings. Everything smelled familiar too, but the strange perspective the wolf offered made it hard for Lena to place.

“You know this is a bad idea,” Alex said, watching the wolf like a hawk.

“Oh, come on, you’re just saying that because he wouldn’t let you pet him,” Supergirl quipped, dropping herself on an available couch.

The wolf abandoned its curiosity and skipped over, happily flopping down next to Supergirl and depositing its head on her lap. While she enjoyed the lazy scratches behind her ear, Lena couldn’t help but wonder why her wolf was so at ease with Supergirl, but completely reluctant to be handled by anyone else. What did it know that she didn’t?

“What, and you don’t think it’s suspicious that he’s literally cuddling up to you and snaps at everyone else?” Alex asked, sitting down on the opposite side of the couch, far, far away from the beast. “He ripped an alien apart, Kara.”

Lena’s eyes snapped open, her head raising as she looked around the room, trying to find Kara but only finding Alex and—oh.

Oh.

Kara eyed the suddenly alert puppy in her lap, a bright smile slowly appearing on her face. “You think he’s an alien, too?”

“That’s not a good thing. He could seriously hurt you.”

The wolf lowered its head again, pressing its face into Kara’s hand until she resuming the petting. It was a good thing the wolf ran on her base instincts because Lena couldn’t focus on the rest of the conversation to save her life.

It was a while later when she woke up, still a wolf, wrapped in something warm and heavy. Sleep usually gave her nightmares, turned her back into her human self, and she was momentarily confused until she saw what was draped over her. She was lying on the couch, and so was Kara. Still clad in her Super suit, she had slipped sideways until she was all but spooning the large wolf, face buried in the soft fur of her scruff.

It pained Lena, but it was the perfect opportunity to slip away unnoticed. Finally going against every single one of her instincts, she swallowed a whine and slipped from Kara’s arms.

It was oh so easy to escape the hold Kara had on her, but it felt like Lena had torn herself away, coming away raw and cold.

She quickly padded over to the open window, not daring to look back in case she’d do something crazy like stay behind. With an aching heart, she jumped out onto the fire escape.

That night, when Lena looked at her very human face in the mirror, she traced the scuff mark on her jaw with a bittersweet smile


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, I completely forgot to upload chapter 3—I mean, hah, right on time *shifty eyes*

Lena hovered behind one of her engineers, looking between the paper in her hands and his screen. “Richard, I see you’ve done the work, but what I don’t understand is why you show me this,” she held up the paper with a poorly drawn graph, “instead of the excel sheet.”

Richard looked at the graph, desperately avoiding her eyes. “That—that was just the summary. I will hand in the sheets properly.”

“See to it that you do,” she bit out, handing him back the sketch. “And don’t make me come back again.”

Lena turned and headed back to her office, sighing. She hoped she’d been harsh enough, but honestly, that was the second time he’d deviated from company guidelines and she hoped her message would stick this time around.

She inhaled again, trying not to get too frustrated, surprised when instead, her puppy started vibrating with joy. It left her momentarily stunned until yellow crept into the corner of her vision.

A quick glance at her watch confirmed that it was indeed time for Kara to meet her up for lunch.

The scent became more pronounced, but she forced herself not to look in case that would somehow give her away.

“Yikes, what did he do?”

Lena looked up, and couldn’t fight the smile even if she wanted to. “Kara, hi,” she gushed, trying to calm the puppy dancing in her heart. She slowed down her pace until they walked side by side comfortably. “You heard that?”

“Uh, no,” Kara sputtered. “But I could see your faces and you didn’t look too happy.”

Lena shot her a knowing look, wondering how she didn’t see through Kara earlier. “I assure you, it’s nothing. Just a minor compliance issue.” She opened the door to the hallway, allowing Kara to go first. “But you didn’t come here for work.”

Kara beamed at her. “That’s right!”

* * *

 

Lena was chewing on a mouthful of salad when Kara suddenly turned to face her fully on the couch. “You have a dog?”

Lena chewed a little faster, sending Kara a questioning look.

Kara lowered her carton of pasta. “There’s black hair all over the couch,” she pointed out.

Though Lena  _had_ used the couch as a wolf, her first reaction was still surprise. Giving it a quick once over, she was grateful that there were only a couple of hairs that she could see. “Good eye,” she said, then realized that she had yet to answer. “What optician do you go to? I hadn’t even noticed myself.”

“The one with the, um, orange emblem and the black glasses, downtown? Have you been there? I mean, it’s not very classy.”

While Kara spoke, Lena tried to decide what to tell her. Kara was smart enough to know a dog had been there, and L-corp’s security didn’t just let anyone’s pet inside, so she was basically forced to take ownership of her own wolf form.

“But the puppy,” Kara changed the subject on her own, too excited. “Is he yours? I’ve seen him around and he’s  _so sweet_. Please tell me he’s yours.”

Lena smiled, arching an eyebrow. “Are we talking about the same dog? Big, black? Looks like she could subdue a group of grown men?” she asked, continuing to eat as if nerves weren’t nipping at her feet.

Kara’s eyes widened, and, if possible, her smile grew brighter. “She  _is_  yours!”

Lena tilted her head sideways in acknowledgement. “I’m dying to know how you encountered her.”

Kara paused, no doubt realizing her mistake. “Well, I didn’t run into her as much as Supergirl did. She was very cute with her,” she said, idly playing with her food. “She warned me about the wolf though, because it seemed hostile towards everyone but her.” She looked straight at Lena then, despite the hesitance in her eyes.

The wolf stayed surprisingly quiet throughout what Lena could only describe as restless pacing.

Finally, Lena put away her plastic container to focus on the conversation at hand. “You’re wondering if I trained her to do so.”

Kara looked down guiltily. “It does seem kinda suspicious, doesn’t it?”

Lena fell quiet. There was no way she could explain away the obvious preference. It was no secret that she considered Kara to be her only friend, but that would in no way transfer to her pet. For all intents and purposes, she’d talked herself onto a corner.

A hand on her wrist brought her out of her reverie, and she found Kara looking at her with soft eyes. “You can tell me. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

The wolf howled, pained that the secret could come between them. And Lena never thought she’d think it, but she was grateful for the input. It was surprisingly easy to know what to do when your instincts were that loud and clear.

“There is no dog, Kara,” Lena said, much to Kara’s surprise.

“But Supergirl saw—”

“Supergirl did see the wolf, yes, but the wolf…” Lena took a deep breath, glancing around the office. It suddenly struck her how out of place they were for this reveal. “On second thought, would you mind terribly if we continued this conversation tonight?”

Kara blinked, and Lena didn’t know whether to be relieved that she was still holding her arm or not. “Tonight?”

“I will explain, but… tonight. Please?” Lena tilted her head, and whatever face she pulled must’ve worked because Kara nodded her assent.

* * *

 

“Oh,” Kara stammered once Lena’s transformation was over. “Oh no.”

Lena had opened the door to her apartment in a t-shirt and shorts, and told Kara she’d wanted to show her the wolf. Kara felt like she was being led into a trap, but surely, Lena would dress herself better if that were the case.

So she closed the front door behind her and followed Lena into the living room, where she quite bluntly told Kara she was nervous. Kara didn’t know why, so she had offered a general reassurance of, “I’m here for you.”

Lena had smiled, eyes softening, and muttered, “That’s what started this all,” much to Kara’s confusion.

And then she shifted into a wolf in front of her eyes.

“Oh no,” Kara repeated, eyebrows knitting together even as she kneeled in front of Lena. The big puppy was trying to stand proud, but couldn’t hide the way it was tucking its tail between its legs. “I’m so sorry I touched you everywhere, oh my gosh,” she finished her sentence, automatically bringing up her hands to touch the wolf’s face as it approached her. She frowned disapprovingly at herself, then hazarded a glance at Lena. “Can I?”

In response, the wolf pushed its muzzle down into Kara’s hands. Remarkably, the wolf was taller than Kara in this position.

Hesitantly, Kara ran a hand through black fur, and held the other still against what she thought was Lena’s cheek. “I don’t understand,” she said softly, looking up into green eyes. “Why did you seek out Supergirl?”

The wolf whined, shook its head, and before Kara knew what hit her, it was assaulting her with puppy kisses. Kara squeaked in surprise, couldn’t help but laugh as she stopped Lena by holding her cheeks. When she recovered, she managed to interpret the actions. “You were looking for me?”

The wolf boofed proudly.

Kara stared in awe, watched as the huge beast puppy wagged its tail and panted happily. “You’re different like this.”

It boofed a little louder in agreement.

Kara smiled widely in response, but dropped it when it hit her. “You know who I am,” she concluded, all mirth gone. She stood up. “Can you please turn back so we can talk?”

The wolf closed its mouth and trotted over to what Kara previously thought was a decorative screen. Now, as Lena hid behind it, she realized it was there to preserve her modesty while she changed into clothes she had prepared beforehand.

As soon as a human Lena reappeared, Kara asked, “Why were you out looking for me?”

Lena froze for the briefest of moments, then continued on into the living room. “I feared you would ask that question, but rest assured that the answer isn’t at all nefarious.” She sat down on the couch there, leaning an arm on the back, silently asking Kara to do the same.

Kara followed the request.

“You see, I’ve grown quite fond of you in the short time we’ve known each other,” Lena said, a tiny smile playing on her lips. She looked at Kara meaningfully. “That is why, every time I shift, my wolf goes looking for you.”

“That’s why you wouldn’t let anyone else touch you,” Kara added thoughtfully, but ended up shaking her head. “Why would he—you—I mean, your wolf?”

Lena nodded.

“Why would your wolf look for me though? Were you in trouble?”

Lena chuckled, running a hand through her slightly unruly hair. “Would you believe me if I said it’s fuelled by positive emotions?”

Kara tilted her head, eyes alight with curiosity. “You are?”

“That part of me is,” Lena confirmed. “It was looking for the source, I believe. Or maybe it really likes aliens,” she thought out loud, though really, she knew that was not the case. If she’d only liked to chase aliens, she wouldn’t have stopped along the way to retrieve a lost purse or attacked Supergirl’s enemy.

“Hmn,” Kara hummed thoughtfully, leaning back more fully against the couch. “You’re an alien then?”

“Honestly? I don’t know.” Lena smiled hesitantly, frowning. “You’re not concerned I know you’re Supergirl?”

Kara startled out or her thoughtful haze, eyed Lena a little more seriously. “I’m not sure? I mean, you’re as extraordinary as I am, so… do I need to keep an eye on you?” she asked outright.

Lena knew a simple no wouldn’t work, so she settled on telling the truth. “You’ve met my wolf. It’s harmless.”

“Are you?”

Lena fought against her kneejerk reaction of shutting down at the first accusation, leaned on the strength of the wolf inside to march on. “Harmless? No. But I won’t go as far as to reveal you,” she said simply. “Though there’s no way to prove that, is there?”

It was refreshing to have her statement be met with a nod. If anything, Kara looked like she wanted to believe her.


	4. Chapter 4

“I know you’re there,” Lena said, not bothering to look up from the skyline. She leaned against the railing of the balcony, enjoying the night’s cool breeze. “You might as well say hi.”

There was a pause, but eventually, Supergirl appeared before her.

Lena hoped Kara wasn’t listening too closely, because she couldn’t explain the way her heart skipped a beat at her sudden appearance. Though she would blame it on her wolf.

Kara hovered before her at eye level. “How did you know I was there?” she asked, smiling and confused, like she was simultaneously impressed and disappointed at being caught.

Lena rested her cheek on an open hand, smiled easily. “Since my other half has been awoken, I’ve acquired a sense of smell that is approximately 40 times better.”

“You  _smelled_  me?” Kara laughed.

Lena nodded. “You smell…” She hesitated, wondering if maybe she was oversharing, but at Kara’s open and curious look, she felt at ease. Kara was extraordinary herself. If anyone would understand, it was her. “You smell yellow. It’s hard to miss.”

Kara inched closer, fascinated. “Is that good?”

“It is.” Lena glanced off to the side, thinking out loud, “It’s often tainted by other smells, as is everything. Yours is similar to warm sands. Like the beach during summer, but crisper.” When she looked back at Kara, she found her staring at her, mouth slightly agape and eyes full of wonder.

Lena cleared her throat, desperately ignoring the way heat was creeping up her face as she averted her eyes. “So what brings you around here, Supergirl?”

It had the desired effect of shaking Kara out of her stupor. “Oh! Yeah! I was actually hoping to borrow your wolf…”

Lena leaned forward, intrigued.

* * *

“Please tell me that’s not what I think it is,” Hank said dryly, eyes suddenly trailing the sky.

Alex glanced over her shoulder, spying Kara carrying a giant wolf like it was a baby. From this angle, it even looked like the wolf was bigger than Kara herself, painting a vaguely ridiculous picture. “Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” she muttered under her breath, then, when Kara landed near them, she said, “You brought the alien predator to a crime scene?”

“Well, we needed a lead, and nobody’s got a better nose than Lee–lo. Lilo.” She giggled as the giant puppy struggled to stay in her arms and simultaneously turn its head to see who she was talking to. Eventually, it succeeded, panting cluelessly at the two agents before it.

Hank quietly studied the animal, even as Alex sighed. “Okay, can he track down the vandals?”

“She,” Kara corrected. “Lilo’s a she. Do we have anything of theirs?” Kara asked, becoming serious again. Or as serious as one could be with a seemingly wild animal in their arms.

Alex tried very hard not to mention that Kara forgot to put down the dog. If she got down to business, she would  _have_  to put her down eventually. She hoped. “They left behind the spray paint, some rags, and what used to be a car,” she said, gesturing towards the smoking car carcass. Above it, the wall was tagged with  _humans suck_. “Is that enough?”

“Puppy?” Kara asked, turning her attention to the wolf as if it could understand. It licked its nose in reply, its tongue grazing Kara’s cheek. She scrunched up her nose at the lick, vaguely grossed out but mostly amused.

Thankfully, it emitted a slight huff that could be interpreted as an affirmative, and proceeded to squirm out of her arms. Kara looked on with glittering eyes as it then sniffed and prodded at the items.

Alex shook her head, incredulous but not entirely surprised. She stayed in the background with Hank as Kara made one-sided conversation with the wolf, and eventually followed the pair when the beast seemed to have caught a scent.

She halted at the feel of a hand on her elbow.

“There’s something off with that dog,” Hank said, eyes never leaving the crime fighting puppies. “Stay sharp.”

Alex felt almost relieved that her suspicions were confirmed.

* * *

 

Kara skipped through the DEO after a particularly satisfying debriefing of a whole eight minutes. The vandal had been found in record time thanks to Lena. She’d waved off Lena after finding the delinquent, as per her request, and now she had more time for—well, for whatever she felt like.

Like figuring out what that sound was.

It sounded like a strange kind of siren, or like a sound an animal might produce.

Such as a howl, Kara realized.

Curious, she altered her course.

* * *

Lena paced in her glass cage, scared, nervous, angry at the man who all but kidnapped her as soon as Kara was out of the picture. And Alex was just standing there, looking conflicted, but doing a whole lot of nothing as she discussed something with the man.

It was bad.

Really bad.

She felt her wolf’s strength slipping away with the absence of Kara or anything Good. And if there was one thing she didn’t need, it was to shift in front of these people. She didn’t even have any clothes with her.

But her wolf was looking out for her, knew what it was supposed to do when she felt this cornered, and perched itself in the middle of the cell before it let out howl after heart wrenching howl.

Both Alex and the bad man looked at her at the same time. And Lena didn’t know what was being discussed, but Alex seemed to disagree heavily, making clipped hand gestures.

Lena’s panic grew tenfold as her strength noticeably slipped through her fingers, a pitiful whine escaping her throat. She tried to maintain her form desperately, tried to think of Kara smiling at her, of—of anything, but it wasn’t working. Logical thought pushed to the forefront of her mind, poured gasoline on her fears. Her paws turned into hands, sensory input dulled and dulled until everything went black.

Lena blinked, confused about the lack of light.

“Are you okay?” Kara asked softly next to her ear.

Lena glanced up, felt more than saw that Kara had her arms and cape wrapped around her person, had her pressed close to preserve her dignity. And just like that, Lena felt all anxiety fall away, replaced instead with that feeling of warmth of safety that Kara evoked. “Oh thank God,” she breathed, dropping her forehead back on Kara’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry. I never would have asked you to come if I knew they were going to  _kidnap you_ ,” she said, starting out sweet and soft and ending in a frustrated bark pointed at the other two occupants of the room.

“Lena Luthor?” she heard her name whispered, followed by, “Oh.”

Lena grasped at Kara’s shirt, found she couldn’t grip it properly, and instead slipped her arms around the woman and hugged her tight, needing the support until every last trace of scary emotions had settled.

“I’ve got you,” Kara said, gently starting to rock them back and forth.

Lena felt her heartrate grow steady. In the comfort of solid arms cradling her carefully, peace returned.

“I’ve got you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, writing: CUTER. IT'S GOTTA BE CUTER. CAN'T STOP BEFORE IT'S CUTER—awyeah, they're hugging. I'm good now.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friend: So where are you going with the shapeshifter!AU?  
> Me, kidding: Idk, make them kiss, then drop it entirely?
> 
> Oops.

Alex looked down at Lena—or what was supposed to be Lena. The large wolf was sticking close to Kara’s side, looking much smaller in its cowed state. Alex had seen her shift with her own two eyes, but it was still hard to wrap her head around.

At the sound of a barely audible whine, Kara frowned, reaching out automatically to rest a hand on the wolf’s scruff. Her fingers dug into thick fur. “Alright, explain.”

Alex and Hank exchanged a look, an air of awkwardness hanging around them.

“I was suspicious of your friend here,” Hank said, talking to Kara and Alex like Lena wasn’t there. “I heard an undercurrent of thoughts that, under the circumstances, sounded like mind control.”

Both Kara and Alex shot Hank a similar surprised look.

Hank folded his arms, finally glanced down at Lena. In response, she pressed her snout against Kara’s skirt, partially hiding her face. “The wolf had a will of its own, based on instinct, but was interrupted at times by a foreign voice,” he explained. “I’ve seen it happen before. And to inform you, Supergirl, would put the animal on alert, possibly ruining the chance to intercept a hostile.”

Kara pressed her lips together, not happy with the kidnapping but unable to dispute the logic. “Ugh, logic,” she muttered under her breath, earning herself a glance from the wolf. Kara relented with a sigh. “I still think you owe her an apology, at the very least. You almost exposed her!”

Hank straightened, uncomfortable, but Kara stood firm, all but demanding the apology. He looked down at the animal. “I’m sorry, miss Luthor. It won’t happen again.”

“And I am, too, for what it’s worth,” Alex added. She’d been suspicious, yes, but the entire thing had felt wrong as soon as she saw the scared animal pacing in the cage. The least she could do was say sorry.

The wolf moved away from Kara enough so it could see them properly, appearing a bit taller than it was a second ago.

Kara smiled at the small change in demeanor. That was as much of an acceptance they were going to get from Lena in that form. When she looked up again, she saw two pairs of curious eyes on her. “What?”

Alex gestured between Kara and Lena. “Can you communicate like this?”

“No?” she answered hesitantly, and of course it was then that Kara and Lena turned towards each other to share a look in perfect sync. At the sight of equally curious green eyes, Kara breathed an, “Oh.”

The wolf tilted its head.

A bright smile snuck up on Kara as she straightened up again. “I guess we can!”

The mood must have been infectious because the wolf started wagging its tail, chest puffing out slightly with pride.

Despite herself, Alex couldn’t resist the small smile tugging at her lips.

* * *

“So, uh, I might have seen something that I shouldn’t have,” Kara said, loud enough for Lena to hear in the other room. Really, she’d meant to leave after dropping her off at her apartment, but she didn’t just want to disappear without—she wasn’t sure what. She’d already said her goodbye.

A moment of silence went by, and Kara had already started kicking herself on her way to the balcony, before Lena appeared in the doorway wearing a thick, fluffy robe. She had her arms crossed across her chest, face set in something between concern and confusion. “What do you mean?”

Kara froze, tried to play off her escape attempt as lazy pacing. Lena’s hair was wild and curly directly after shifting, it seemed, and Kara couldn’t help but think that maybe she had a hand in that. It made her stomach flutter, and it took a moment for her to find her words again. “When you shifted,” she said quickly, closing the distance between them until they were standing at human speaking distance. “I—I didn’t mean to look, but you have a bruise on your back.”

The air of distrust melted away like snow in the sun as Lena’s facial features slackened with relief. Instead, she smiled a tiny lopsided smile. “That was actually from when my wolf played hero the other night.”

Kara’s brows rose slightly. “For me?”

“Maybe.” Lena shrugged a shoulder, looking much smaller in the large robe.

That is, until Kara realized she was  _actually_  smaller than her without heels. Her entire appearance was strangely endearing to her at the moment. Which was probably what pushed her to blurt, “Wait right here!” before zooming off to fetch her secret weapon.

* * *

Lena had barely decided to sit down before Kara was back, holding a small, round plastic container.

“I don’t bruise, but Alex does. She says this cuts recovery time in half,” Kara said, approaching Lena to stand within an arm’s length.

Lena didn’t need to inhale particularly deeply to smell that whatever was inside smelled medicinal and, to be honest, kind of vile. But Kara looked so proud of herself for being able to help that Lena couldn’t say no. “I’ll need some help applying it.”

And that is how she ended up holding a towel to her chest, robe undone and hanging around her waist. It was strange to expose herself like this to anyone, but the fact that it was Kara put her at ease.

A moment passed.

Lena glanced over her shoulder, wondering if she had catastrophically misinterpreted the situation and Kara had left her to struggle with the ointment herself. Yet she could see Kara sitting behind her from the corner of her eye. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes!” Kara jolted slightly, uncapping the lid. “Oh God, this smells,” she muttered to herself.

Lena chuckled, secretly pleased that her sense of smell was better than that of Supergirl. Still, it didn’t bother her that she was going to reek the rest of the night. It was much too nice to have someone caring for her in this way.

“I’m—I’m gonna move your hair,” Kara said, swiping long hair over her shoulder.

Lena was grateful she was facing away from Kara, as that gave her the opportunity to hide her smile. The night may not have been the best one, but this more than made up for it.

“I think this is going to feel nice? I’m not sure. Here goes.”

Before Lena could even speculate about what that meant, warm fingers spread a slippery substance onto her back. The warm hand was nice, despite the twinge of pain she felt whenever Kara pressed a little too firmly, but the ointment didn’t do much besides lubricate the–oh.

It tingled.

She suddenly wasn’t so sure whether it was a good thing she couldn’t see Kara, because she was focusing on every sensation but sight and smell (it was a good thing the ointment drowned out everything, especially Kara’s scent). It brought sounds to her attention that she would’ve otherwise ignored, like Kara’s shaky breathing and stuttering heart.

Kara was nervous.

Lena felt her face warm at the implications, despite telling herself it was definitely nothing.

“Oh wow,” Kara muttered, removing her hand.

“What?” Lena asked, grateful for the interruption. She turned her head, saw that Kara was staring at her back in amazement. “What is it?” she repeated with an edge of worry.

“Um.” Kara glanced up at Lena’s face, greasy hand hovering mid air. “The bruise is disappearing?”

Lena turned her torso as if that’d help her get a better view of her back, but all it did was push her into Kara’s personal space. When their eyes clashed once again, Lena suddenly understood.

If kindness fuelled her supernatural side, love would send it into overdrive.

And Lena desperately hoped that she wasn’t the only one hovering closer, that when soft, soft lips met her own, she hadn’t misread her look. That was why she kept the kiss oh so short, leaned back slightly to peg Kara’s reaction. Though that was a mission in itself because Kara followed after her, trying to capture another kiss.

She smiled into the second kiss, drawing it out as long as she could. And it was great. It healed aches she didn’t realize she had, calmed her down to a point she’d never experienced before, and cleared her skin—

Okay, maybe that one was a little embellishing.

“Kara,” she whispered against her lips, pressing another lazy kiss there.

“Hmn?” Kara hummed, too busy responding to the kiss to say much else.

“I thought I could take it, but if I smell that ointment one more second, I may become unwell.”

Kara snorted, then promptly apologized for laughing in Lena’s face like that.

Lena shook her head with a smile, tugged her robe back in position before standing up.

Kara put the lid on the container and followed suit, looking around for something to wipe her hand on.

Lena stepped into Kara, took her hand and cleaned it with the towel she had previously been using to protect her modesty. “I’m going to take a shower,” she said softly, feeling Kara’s eyes on her. She looked up to find that she did, indeed, have her undivided attention. “Don’t be a stranger.” And she bid her goodnight with one last kiss, leaving a happily dazed Kara behind.

* * *

“What is that smell?” Alex asked, looking around the kitchen.

Kara, back in her civilian clothing, did her best to be as inconspicuous as possible when she turned on the tap and began washing her hands for the third time. “What smell?”

Alex honed in on Kara, immediately suspicious at the fact that Kara practically claimed her senses were less sharp than hers. “It smells like—like… oh my God, Kara, you didn’t,” she deadpanned.

Not suspecting such an answer, Kara shot her a strange look. “What?”

“You used the salve on Lena. With your  _hands_ ,” she added, eyes widening as if that explained everything.

“What makes you say I used my hands—you know what? That doesn’t matter,” she caught herself before she dug her own grave, turning off the water and drying her hands with a nearby towel. “Why  _does_  it matter that I helped her?”

Alex opened her mouth, but instead of sounds coming out, she just frowned, and eventually closed it again.

“Ah-hah!” Kara exclaimed victoriously, making her way into the living room.

Alex followed, disgruntled. “No, no, this conversation isn’t over. Just give me a minute.”

When she didn’t have a good reason that wasn’t based on bias ten minutes later, Kara claimed her victory. Again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So if you have a nasty bruise, don't use any ointment. Just suffer.


End file.
